Left: One foot skanking. Nothing could stop this patron from giving it up for the beat of the FAME music machine. Right: This couple bounced happily along to the music of the Party Animal, Kurt Riley, during his set at the FAME Road Party, held at the Jamalco Sports Club, Clarendon on Saturday, June 23. 2007. - Nathaniel stewart photos

Kandre´ McDonald, Freelance Writer

"Calm Dung!" DJ Kurt Riley bellowed on several occasions to the crowd inside of the Jamalco Sports Complex, Clarendon, last Saturday.

The occasion was the FAME Road Party- 'The Excavator,' and the FAME team seemed bent on excavating their way into the heart of the party loving patrons.

THUNDEROUS OUTBURSTS

Although Kurt Riley at times begged the patrons to calm down he was actually the person responsible for their occasional thunderous outbursts. He teased them with snippets of some of the hardest hitting dancehall songs out today. Any selection from THE STAR's Artiste of the Month, Munga Honourable was enough to send the patrons overboard, and Kurt Riley exploited this on several occasions.

A short soca segment courtesy of 'The Party Animal' also found favour with the patrons. They moved enthusiastically to Follow The Leader, stomped hard to Footsteps, went wild to the Mad Bull Fever and gyrated feverishly to Allison Hinds' Faluma.

The disc jocks did not have to do much commentary, instead they allowed the music to do the talking.

'The Gatekeeper' Marlon Young did not have to dig too deep to reach the heart of the ladies. He used songs such as Timberlake's My Love and Akon's Don't Matter to get their undivided attention.

DJ Dimitri also hit hard with some popular soul songs from yester-year. As his set matured, the subtle beats had the patrons at ease as they rocked to selections from Gyptian, Tarrus Riley, and Pressure.

A check by Kurt Riley at 2:15 a.m. to see if the party was still being broadcast was enough to change the face of the excavation process once he was informed that they were off the air. Bounty Killer and Baby Cham took the party to Another Level, before Bounty eased away with Look, which connected immediately.

At this point in the proceedings it was strictly dancehall from the '90s that was 'ripping the place apart.'

Even the lighting in the venue was moving to a new beat. Its vivid presence dancing animatedly across the vast area of the venue did wonders as it heightened the party mood. It was as if was at times mimicking the temperament of the patrons as they moved to the beat.

The vibes-generating '90s beat and the spirit-rising dancing lights gave way to a rather flat set by Voice Mail who were passing through. The trio was just not generating any forwards. Christopher Martin was also flat when he entered the stage after being introduced by Voice Mail, however, the rising star picked up his game and left the stage with a bang. Assassin was the annihilator. He made several 'catty stray' and warn several outcast and informers while deejaying: "Don't mek mi hol' yuh."

All in all the party was good, it was not as great as many of its predecessors, but there were still the instances where the barricades were utilised for balance as patrons gyrated suggestively, hands reaching for the sky, and songs had to be pulled because of crazy forwards.

FAME excavated well, but could have gone deeper.